nerc.ac.uk

Introduced species and extreme weather as key drivers of reproductive output in three sympatric albatrosses

Cleeland, Jaimie B.; Pardo, Deborah; Raymond, Ben; Terauds, Aleks; Alderman, Rachael; McMahon, Clive R.; Phillips, Richard A.; Lea, Mary-Anne; Hindell, Mark A.. 2020 Introduced species and extreme weather as key drivers of reproductive output in three sympatric albatrosses. Scientific Reports, 10 (1), 8199. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-64662-5

Before downloading, please read NORA policies.
[img]
Preview
Text (Open Access)
© The Author(s) 2020
s41598-020-64662-5.pdf - Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0.

Download (1MB) | Preview

Abstract/Summary

Invasive species present a major conservation threat globally and nowhere are their affects more pronounced than in island ecosystems. Determining how native island populations respond demographically to invasive species can provide information to mitigate the negative effects of invasive species. Using 20 years of mark-recapture data from three sympatric species of albatrosses (black-browed Thalassarche melanophris, grey-headed T. chrysostoma, and light-mantled albatrosses Phoebetria palpebrata), we quantified the influence of invasive European rabbits Oryctolagus cuniculus and extreme weather patterns on breeding probability and success. Temporal variability in rabbit density explained 33–76% of the variability in breeding probability for all three species, with severe decreases in breeding probability observed after a lag period following highest rabbit numbers. For black-browed albatrosses, the combination of extreme rainfall and high rabbit density explained 33% of total trait variability and dramatically reduced breeding success. We showed that invasive rabbits and extreme weather events reduce reproductive output in albatrosses and that eliminating rabbits had a positive effect on albatross reproduction. This illustrates how active animal management at a local breeding site can result in positive population outcomes even for wide ranging animals like albatrosses where influencing vital rates during their at-sea migrations is more challenging.

Item Type: Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI): https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-64662-5
ISSN: 2045-2322
Additional Keywords: conservation biology, invasive species, population dynamics
Date made live: 22 May 2020 10:24 +0 (UTC)
URI: https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/527804

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item

Document Downloads

Downloads for past 30 days

Downloads per month over past year

More statistics for this item...